A Willards woman avoided an active prison sentence in an internal theft from Lower Shore Enterprises, but will have to pay more than $75,000 in restitution to the nonprofit.

Brenda Malone, 43, pleaded guilty to a count of theft: $10,000 to under $100,000 on Monday, and she was sentenced to 10 years of suspended time. Two other theft counts were dismissed against Malone, who was formerly a Lower Shore Enterprises employee.

As a condition of her five-year supervised probation, Malone will have to pay back $75,952.05 to Lower Shore Enterprises, according to court records. If she were to violate her probation by not paying the restitution, she could face up to 10 years in prison.

Lower Shore Enterprises is a nonprofit based in Salisbury that helps local people with disabilities find work.

Wicomico County Deputy State's Attorney Ella Disharoon said Lower Shore Enterprises wanted Malone to pay the restitution and have a felony conviction –– which she now does.

"It was more important to them that the money be repaid than for her to go to jail," Disharoon said.

Malone's defense attorney, John Phoebus, said the Division of Parole and Probation will determine a restitution schedule for Malone to pay the money back over time.

He said she decided to take the plea "primarily because it avoided any active period of incarceration for her at all."

The binding nature of the plea agreement made it so that the sentence would be suspended, Phoebus said. Disharoon said the binding plea also included the restitution and the 5-year period of probation.

By making the guilty plea, Malone has accepted responsibility, Phoebus said.

The theft Malone pleaded guilty to took place between Oct. 5, 2005, to Sept. 5, 2012. The indictment in the case was filed in January 2014.

Disharoon said the majority of the amount Malone took was in the form of unauthorized health benefits.

The allegations are detailed by the state in an answer to a defense motion filed in June.

"The specific allegations of theft are that the Defendant, without authority or consent, paid her husband's business' federal income tax debt using funds of LSE; that the Defendant took money to which she was not entitled from a health insurance refund check issued to LSE; and that the Defendant authorized health insurance benefits to which she was not entitled for years 2005 to 2012," according to part of that court document.

The total amount of theft alleged in the file is not included in the restitution amount because Malone had already paid back some of it, Disharoon said.

Lower Shore Enterprises is moving forward without Malone. In February, Luis Luna, who at the time was CEO of the nonprofit, said Malone hadn't been with the organization since September 2012.

She had been chief operating officer for about six years, and began working there in 1989 as a receptionist.

"It's a new day for Lower Shore; we're happy to put it behind us and move on," said Lauri Andrews, director of client services at Lower Shore Enterprises, on Wednesday.